Rapper Mayot’s concert in St. Petersburg drew attention amid questions about a possible link to a poisoning incident involving two young people at a November 22 performance by Uglystephan. Local observers and media outlets weighed whether the police raid on Mayot’s show could be connected to that earlier incident, though the exact details remained contested and unconfirmed in the moment.
At the Base club event held recently, witnesses say an unknown substance was offered to some attendees, and the victims were later found unconscious in a serious condition. The report was circulated by a Telegram channel, which noted that emergency responders were involved and that the incident prompted police scrutiny of the crowd.
On the evening of November 30, security forces with dogs halted Mayot’s concert shortly after it began. According to SHOT, riot police conducted searches for drugs, and attendees faced checks for prohibited substances. New guests were not allowed into the venue, and paddy wagons were parked at the entrance as a precaution. The atmosphere shifted from anticipation to tension, with fans waiting nearby in the hope that the performance could resume.
Baza reported that about 1,500 tickets had been sold for Mayot’s show. Both the artist and the audience remained near the site, hoping for the possibility of continuing the performance after the disruption.
That night, riot police conducted raids at several clubs in Moscow. Security forces arrived in the Mono area around 1:30 a.m. and began detaining attendees, loading them into paddy wagons. In Arma, venue guests were ordered to lie face down on the ground. Simultaneously, themed events were being hosted at other venues, with a mask show planned for the evening and a Delta party scheduled at Old Mutabor. The authorities later stated that propaganda of LGBT ideology occurred at a club on Skladochnaya Street, and the group International LGBT Social Movement was identified as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation.
There were previous discussions in Russia about prohibiting works perceived as LGBT propaganda, including debates over the fate of Pushkin’s fairy tale in that context.